Exhibition basketball courts get makeover

The dilapidated basketball courts at Centennial Square in Exhibition Place have been given a makeover thanks to corporate sponsors like the Toronto Sun and hundreds of kids came out Saturday to have a game.

Khalid Peters, 16, loves the new courts.

“It makes me want to come down here every day now so I can play with my friends,” Khalid said.

The courts’ restoration was organized by those at MUZIK, an entertainment complex at Exhibition Place.

“This is about building the community and giving back to the kids. We have had these courts on the Exhibition grounds for years but kids haven’t been playing on them because they were broken and the posts were at a 80 degree angle,” said Zlatko Starkovski, president of MUZIK.

“We went to the City of Toronto and asked if they could do something and they asked us if we could do something because of budget restraints. What we are doing is reinvesting in our kids right now and this creates a safety net for kids.”

The whole makeover was privately funded and is free for the kids in the area — many are immigrants or from low-income families.

“This will change the lives of many children; these are safe basketball courts (with security) where the kids can come together and have fun. We have to give back to the children,” Starkovski said.

Many celebrities came out to the event, including Daniel Kelly, who plays Owen Milligan on the hit television show Degrassi: The Next Generation.

“When I heard about this from my publicist I immediately wanted to be a part of it. It is a community thing and we need community events where we can all come together. It is a good feeling and I’m having a blast,” Kelly said.

P.K. Subban, a defence man with the Montreal Canadiens grew up in Toronto and came out to show his support.

“It is important to raise awareness and support the kids of the future. These are great kids and they need to know that people do care,” Subban said.